Twenty Seven Graphics Makers entered the first grand slam of the year, but only one would be celebrating at the end of it all. Here's how the fortinights action panned out.

First round action saw eleven matches get underway, with the five highest ranked seeds all receiving byes. The three lower seeds closed out two wins. Sixth seed Medina got action underway on Rod Laver as the home favourite managed to dispatch of Jovana in two tight sets. Patch, the seventh seed, found things a little easier as his opponent struggled in the Aussie heat, taking just one game of the Britain. However eight seed, Bartosz failed to keep up the perfect record for the seeds, as he went down in three to one of the newcomers, Terovic. The Spaniard who is new to the tour look a little out of her depth in the first set, but rallied home to sneak through, 6-4 in the third. The heat soared to new temperatures for the remaining matches as Esther and Zvonarevarulz both seemed to struggle with the conditions, losing in straight sets to Kai and Shafanovic respectively. Both Pka_liloo and Kiridina were made to work hard for their wins but the Russian booked a place against former grand slam champ Andreas after coming from a set behind to defeat Artur and Kiridina battled hard to become the second Spaniard through, defeating his Georgian opponent, Gigi. In the battle of the newcomers, Leen and Louisa went the distance to, with Leen getting that chance to play Poiree in the second round, bagelling the Aussie in the third. In one of the most anticipated of the first matches M17 faced Heart. Both showed promise in the offseason, but Hearts experience on the circuit earned her a popular straight sets victory. 5ean and :iine, were the final two victors, both also posting straight set wins over their repsective opponents.

Patch’s favourite graphic of the first round - :iines free.

Sixteen Graphic Makers made it into the second round, but the action started with disappointment. News spread through that third seed Maryamator had decided not to make the journey Down Under, troubled by an elbow injury, to allow the UK's 5ean through as the first maker into the quarters. Some seeds posted relatively straight forward victories. The pressure seemed to get to newcomer Leen, who fell to favourite for the title Poiree. Fifth seed Niya showed why she is a force to be reckoned with as she conceded just one game into the quarters. It was then though that the seeded wins stopped, as all other seeds fell to their opponents. Kiridina showed some of the Spanish fighting spirit to come from 0-4 down in the third to rally past Patch, fourth seed Andreas let the pressure get to him as he managed to win no games in the final two sets against Pka_liloo and Sixth seed Medina left Rod Laver defeated despite giving it his all against one of the most promising newcomers, who had just two much in the end for the aussie. The only non seeded match of the second set also went to three as Terovic backed up his great win the round before by dispatching of Argentine Kai. But seen by most as the match of the second round was Heart vs. Second seed, Droolv. Droolv came in the form of his life and looked destined for a quarter final berths after taking the first. However, Heart did not let Droolv’s home crowd dishearten her, as she battled through the second and snatched the third 7-5. She joined Poiree, Niya and the rest in the Quarters.

Hearts banner was Patch’s favourite graphic of the second round.

Quarter Final action started with Poiree looking back to her dominant best. Kiridina, feeling the effects of his huge battle in the second round, never settled into his rhythm as Poiree posted a double bagel to firmly stamp her authority as the favourite. Next up on Rod Laver was Niya vs. Pka_liloo and it was obvious from the get go the Estonian was hoping to do the same. Conceding just one game in the first set, she looked on her way to the semis before the unseeded Russian displayed great mental strength to produce one of the best tournarounds of the week, winning through in three. Heart started her quarter in the same fashion as Poiree and Niya and sustained it, repeating her first round score and booking a place in the semis too, downing Terovic, who had been competing in her first quarter final on the tour. The final quarter though, 5ean vs. :iine, never got going, as :iine fell foul to the graphic makers elbow, an injury that seems to be plaguing some of the best on tour.

Poiree’s take on the ‘best dressed WTA player at the AO’ was Patch’s favourite of the Quarters.

The final four became two after the semi final action was completed and unfortunately, the Aussie crowd never got to see the marathon match they wanted. Poiree, the lone seed in the semis, looked to have it all her own way again, before Pka_liloo rallied back to take into a third. However, nothing came of her fight back as the Serbian booked a place in yet another final. As impressive as it was, it was nothing compared to Hearts drubbing of 5ean, losing no games, as the Briton who hadn’t played since the first round seemed rusty. However, he did come up with this free graphic that I still see as the best of the tournament.

5eans’ free of Verdascos upset was not only Patch’s graphic of the round, but of the tournament.

So roll on the final. Poiree vs. Heart. Both competing for glory but only one was to have the standing ovation inside Rod Laver Arena, holding the trophy in the knowledge they are the Aussie Open Champion. And that graphics maker was to be Poiree. The Serbian, first seed, took a while to get going, but rallied back strongly to lead 06 63 63. Heart who had certainly won a few fans over the week, called the trainer, complaing of the Graphics Elbow and it was to be her downfall, as it was time for her to concede defeat and gift the world number on the first grand slam of the year.

Another great Graphic that helped Poiree storm to title

So Poiree sits pretty at the top of the ranks right now, but for how long? The Australian Open had promising results from nearly everyone and many graphic makers look capable of taking titles home with them in future. But who will be next to stand on top of the podium? Roll on Dubai...

One of the newest members of the GMT community, Louisa, lets us in on some interesting facts about herself.

What is your name?
Louisa

How old are you?
17

Where do you live?
In beautiful, wonderful Melbourne

Describe yourself in 3 words.
Emotional, hardworking and ditzy

Tell us something interesting about you.
I was born in China and moved to Australia when I was 4
I'm deprived of interestingness. Forgive me.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Well I'd say I'm leaning more towards night than morning

What is your most embarrassing moment? why is this question on like every single questionaire?! Uhhmmm I'd have to say back year 7 when our science teacher made my friend and me stand up the front and answer questions coz we had been talking It doesn't seem so bad now, but it was so humiliating back then. She was a bit bonkers i think

What are you most afraid of?
Heights

What is your favourite chocolate bar?
Cadbury Boost

Gordon Ramsey offers to cook you anything. What do you ask for? Spaghetti Bolognese It's the best thing ever!

Would you rather have a pampered spa day or an action packed day out?
I'd pick the action packed day out, as long as there is no sky diving or bungee jumping involved

Would you ever go bungee jumping? See above.

HELL NO.

If you could go on holiday anywhere, where would you go?
Paris and/or Tokyo.

If you could go on a date with anyone, who would it be?
Radek Stepanek. No no no.. um, would have to be either Michael Buble or Jensen Ackles.

If you could have a superpower what would it be?
Mind Reading

If you could have anyone’s game on the WTA who’s would it be?
I'd have a combination of Jankovic's defense and Dokic's amaze groundies. Jeca's

You see Sharapova drop a glove as she gets into a car. Do you run after the car and give it back or cash in and sell it on E-bay?
A glove? I'd give it back because I'm such a nice person and in return she would kindly offer me an autograph and photo lol

If someone paid you £1M, would you streak at Wimbledon? well that depends, how much do they fine you for doing that?
I actually probably would. hey, It's 1mil!

The 3 board members answer your questions in this edition of GMT Mag Q&A

You're stuck on a hot air balloon, which board member would you throw over the side and why?

Gigi: Those extreme stuff annoy me, so I definitely won't go on a hot air baloon. lol

Poiree: Probably Gigi. Since I am so nice I would ask them which one should I throw out and I suppose Sean's answer would be not to throw him and Gigi would probably just say: So I think the logical thing would be throwing Gigi
Now seriously, I don't think I am strong enough to throw any of them out It would probably be me who would end up flying down. After all they do say "ladies first"

Sean: Vanja, her head is so full of air she'd float. That also leaves the tour open so that more people can win

What graphic maker's skill would you like to have that you don't have?

Gigi: Imagination

Poiree: I am not sure if I should name a maker whose skills I would like to have or just what I would like to be able to do in PS... I know this is not really a skill, but I think I really need more patience, especially when extracting pictures from backgrounds. I would also like to be better at deleting objects or watermarks from pics (but that requires a lot of the above mentioned patience)

Sean: I've always wanted to know how do work with videos. I never really bothered to try though. I'll have to ask Purplish's friend for help! It would be amazing to have a set of colouring that looked AMAZING with every graphic. But I don't even know if thats possible

What Grand Slam would you most love to win?

Gigi: Australian Open

Poiree: I have already won it but I must say Roland Garros. The reasons are that I have to defend my title there and show everyone who is the best. Besides that clay is my favourite surface so I would like to do good in the whole clay season this year.

Sean: Wimbledon. It's my home slam! But at the moment I'd settle for any tournament at all, let alone a particular one lol

For how much money would you streak at Wimbledon?

Gigi: Not less than a million.

Poiree: I will say there is no amount of money I would do that for, but in case I actually get an offer I might change my mind I guess it would probably depend on who would be on the court at that time, too.

Sean: Is this Louisa's question, I asked her the same thing? Depends on how much I'd had to drink, we're talking millions though! Even then I really don't know If I'd so it. Does anyone know if you can go to prison for it?

What happens in the locker rooms before matches?

Gigi: Gurlfight? All those I'm better than you stuff...

Poiree: I usually sit bored and alone since a lot of players don't show up on time for their matches. And sometimes I mess with their equipment when they are not around. How do you think I would win so many matches otherwise?

Sean: I rush to get my graphics finished on time while Poiree moans at me that my avi doesn't fit the task and I ignore her and tell her she was to accept it

What do you think about having sex before matches?

Gigi: Sex is always good.

Poiree: I haven't tried it yet, but as soon as I do I will let you know.

Sean: Only when playng you

If you were to compare your GMT career with a WTA player's tennis career, who would you be?

Gigi: Nicole Vaidisova, has potential but can't deliver?

Poiree: This is a really hard one... I wonder who asked it I hate to say this, but probably Serena I wish I could have picked an ATP player though. The WTA tour is pretty much equal now so it is hard to pick someone.

Sean: Good question. I think maybe Kournikova, I can do most things even if I often pic the wrong shot (picture) and have no inspiration. But mainly because I have wins over all the top player but have never won a title, apart from doubles (Шована FTW ). I'd like to think I will fulfill my potential unlike her though. We will just have to see

Which WTA player would you like to be your one night stand and who would you pick for a long-term relationship?

Gigi: One night stand: Julia Goerges Long-term: Edina Gallovits

Poiree: Definitely none!

Sean: Well obviously I'm going to marry Ana and live hapily ever after. I wouldn't say no to a one night stand with Sorana, Alizé, Makiri or Marta though! and I'd push JJ off a cliff even though that wasn't in the question. lol

What kind of graphics (avi, banners, frees or wallpapers) do you think are your strongest and which ones your weakest point?

Gigi: I guess I can make all of them good, but i think my avatars come out the best.

Poiree: I think my weakest point are banners for sure. The problem with them is that you have a limit in size and sometimes the tasks require a completely diffrent format. I think I will have to pick the free graphics as my favourites. I think my avis and wallpapers are good too, but the problem with avis is that people usually prefer the simple ones so not much imagination is required there. I wouldn't put avis as my strongest point also because that is the format the makers are most equal in. Wallpapers are probably the most fun to make but they require more time (at least for me) so I hate doing them for GMT competitions and they never turn out as good as I would expect.

Sean: Great question. I think it varies for me thogh. Sometimes I like my frees other times I just can't think of anything. But I recon my banners are my strongest set as I don't mind blending, sometimes it annoys me when I make a graphic that doesn't fit the size well though. Avatars fraustrate me the most as I will sometimes make about 10 and can't choose which I like the most as it's hard to tell without comparing it to other peoples!

Who is nightmare opponent in GMT and why?

Gigi: Poiree cuz she's the best.

Poiree: Niya for sure. The competition keeps getting stronger though. Probably now everyone can beat everyone, but I think Niya is the only player I lost to more than once and her graphics are great and different than others'. I also have to mention I would hate having to face Iine: in a first round of a tourny. She is amazing.

Sean: Well the obvious answer here is Poiree. No matter how hard I try she always somehow goes one better than me. Though really she cheats as there are two of them and should start with a 0-5.9 deficit. She'd probably still win though I also don't like playing Heart because she double bagels me

Do you enjoy being a board member or you regret applying for it in the first place?

Gigi: It's cool.

Poiree: Although it can get tiring sometimes, I don't regret being in the board. Maybe I am a masochist but I really enjoy doing all this

Sean: I love being a board member. Someetimes it's really hard when there is a lot of work to do of there are dificult decisions to make because someone will always think you made the wrong decision. I like to think that I contribute a lot to the game though and do the best I can. Lets be honest the game wouldn't run without me lol

If you were to let one more person in the board, who would it be and why?

Gigi: I really can't say one, we have some really contributive players.

Poiree: I think Andreas. He helps a lot around the game, as long as I know he has never cheated when playing, he is online quite a lot and has given some suggestions to improve the game in the past so I think he would be a good GMT board member.

Sean: Ouch! Whoever sent this question is really mean, though after the ones I gave Niya I can't complain! I guess the person who would conribute most is Andreas. But I think there are lots of people who would do a great job (Medina, Sexysova, Droolv. etc...). It's hard to know how good people will be to be honest.

Thanks to Droolv. for receiving the questions and forwarding them to the board

Our singles champion Poiree is doing the Tournament Managers interview for the
Australian Open. So our doubles champion agreed to be interviewed instead. As
most of you know Niya is one of the best graphics makers on tour (being the
reigning Wimbledon Champion) and has recorded wins over almost all the top
players. She is also fairly mysterious so her interview was quite revealing.

Do you prefer singles or doubles?
I like doubles because if your graphics suck you still can win thanks to your partner j/k
Actually, I like both doubles and singles because either of them has its own features.

You are in both finals. You only have time to make either your singles or doubles graphics. Which do you make?
I am not If I were, I would make singles. I think singles are more important

In the same situation would you expect your partner to make their doubles graphics instead of their singles?
Well, of course I would want my partner to make his/her doubles graphics but I would completely understand if he/she decided to go for singles

Do you feel doubles is under appreciated on tour?
No, not all. Maybe not all singles participants have time to take part in doubles as well but I feel like when a doubles match is going on voters/spectators are as active as they are during singles.

When you signed up did you thing you had a chance to win?
If I didn't think so, I wouldn't sign up. It was my first time playing doubles with Heart if I'm not mistaken, but I knew she was a great graphics maker so I thought we had a chance.

How far did you expect to get once you saw the draw?
Adal/Nikkie were set to be our opponents before they announced their withdrawal. I did know they're very good but no one is unbeatable here in GMT. I can't say I expected us to win the whole tournament but I was sure we were capable of it.

What made you decide to play with Heart?
She asked me to play with her before the tournament and I had nothing against it. I didn't plan to play doubles at first but then I was like, "why not?". Now I'm looking forward to playing more doubles this year, hopefully Heart will be my partner throughout the year, we surely have winning potential.

What is the best thing about playing with Heart?
She's a great graphics maker and yet still improving. Also she's very loyal and helpful.

What is the worst thing about playing with her?
You asked me to be honest, huh? Be prepared then: there is nothing bad about playing with Heart. OMG, was that mean?

Are you a permanent pair now?
As I said already, I hope so.

As a pair what would you say your strengths are (on and off court)?
I think I am good at blending and Heart is a nice colorer. We complement each other

As a pair what would you say your weaknesses are (on and off court)?
During the AO, we didn't really face anything that made us face our weaknesses. There are some for sure, but I think we don't know about them yet

How do you decide who makes the avi and banner?
I must confess, I usually ask Heart if I can make an avie/a banner for that particular round. She hasn't complained about this so far and I really hope she's fine with it!

The banner task is impossibly hard. Honestly, do you give it to your partner or take it on yourself?
I like doing banners so I might take it. Why not?

Who is your ideal doubles partner?
A good graphics maker, obviously And a person who's easy to communicate with.

Who would you least like to play doubles with?
GMT is at such a high level now, everyone is worthy Seriously.

If your opponent has spent ages on, and absolutely loves, their graphic. But when they ask for your opinion on it you really hate it. Do you lie and say you like it or tell the truth?
I wouldn't say "I hate it!" but I would give some advice on improving it.

Poiree had the courage to take on running the first tournament of the year, but how did she manage with 5ean's questions?

Out of 10 how would you rate yourself as a manager?
Well I guess 8. I am happy with the way I managed things in AO, but I think I am too nice and understanding sometimes. I think managers need to be stricter. And it was also hard making decisions about my matches as it is very hard to be objective in such cases.

What do you think people expect from the Tournament Manager?
I guess everyone expects a bit more than it is actually possible. It is nice to have a manager who is on 24/7 but I doubt any human can make it. Maybe we should get some robots to manage this. And another problem is that everyone expects you to make decisions in their favour whether they are right or wrong.

Do you prefer managing or competing? Why?
I think competing. It takes less time (kind of, since when I manage I also compete) and it is less stressful.

What is harder coming up with the tasks or making them?
It is the hardest making the tasks I set before realizing I would have to make them

Which set is hardest to set a task for?
I think banners.

What is the hardest thing about running a tournament?
Dealing with people sending after the deadline and deciding whether to extend it or not. Also sometimes it is difficult to say if a graphic fits the given task.

What is the most enjoyable thing about running a tournament?
I get to set the tasks

You have run a few now. Which was your favourite? Why?
I think my favourite was the Olympic tournament last year. As much as I remember we didn't have any scandals there. I think we did on most others... I guess the Olympic spirit calms people down. And there was also a big variety of tasks to be set there.

Are they any others you particularly want to run? Why?
I am looking forward to running the clay season as it is my favourite part of the actual tennis season.

What do you think is better to run singles or doubles? Why?
Singles as you have less graphics to deal with and no confusion in the third set when you have to decide who goes against who. I know there is a rule about that but I think managers still do get confused sometimes.

Given the choice would you run a normal tournament or a special exo?
Exos are more fun since you have a larger variety of tasks you can set. I think some of them are pretty demanding to run though (like the one we had before AO)

Who are the players that always send 1st, or does it vary?
I think it is usually Niya who sends first. I often receive her graphics an hour after setting the tasks. Sean is pretty quick too, unless he is away and sends them really late

When you have seen both sets of graphics is it easy to predict the winner?
I usually like one set of graphics more, but it is not rare that that one loses the match. I have said it a million times now: my taste is completely different than most voters in GMT.

Do you think the Manager should have the final decision or the board?
It is hard to say, but I think it should be the board unless they are involved in the problem.

What is your worst nightmare as a tournament manager?
Not getting graphics from either contestant in a certain match. In that case you can't even give a W/O and go on to the next round. You have to wait for days sometimes...

Would you encourage others to run tournaments?
Yes, but after they read all I've said above I doubt they will be encouraged. My suggestion to future managers would be to try and keep their emotions from getting in the way of their decisions.

After an unpredictable, exciting and a bit longer than expected start of the 2009 GMT season at the Australian Open, the tour is moving west to Dubai, the place where the game's first season officially began one year ago.

Even though last year's champion Tzar is now retired and won't be coming to Dubai to defend his title, the field is very strong. Almost all of GMT's top players have commited to play the event and absolutely no one can predict the winner. Just a week after taking her first title of the year in Melbourne, last year's runner-up Poiree is looking to continue her GMT winning streak in the Middle East. That will not be an easy task at all as there are many serious contenders for the title standing in her way. World number 2 Heart is making her Dubai debut this year. After making the final at the Australian Open and beating the 2nd seed on the way, she showed that she will be the one to beat this season. Also trying to capture the Dubai title for the first time is the Graphics Maker of the Year 2008, Niya. After her quarter-final loss Down Under she will be looking to justify her GMT reputation and win her first singles title of the season. Only by looking at the tournament line-up it becomes obvious that we will have a few interesting first round match-ups. The Australian Open saw a surprise first round exit for 2nd seed Droolv. which means he won't be seeded in the Emirates and might face one of the top seeds early in the tournament. Also unseed is Andreas, last year's US Open champion and semi-finalist at the YEC.

Unexpectedly the Dubai tournament will host a doubles event, too. Although the GMT board planned doubles only for the Grand Slams the great interest of the players convinced the organizers that a doubles event in Dubai is a good idea to promote the game, give the players some extra training and a chance to get to know each other better. The hot favourites for taking the title here are Heart and Niya. They cruised through all their matches in Melbourne and won their first doubles title as a team. Their main rivals in Dubai will be the Graphics Makers of the Year, team Шована.

Dubai is promising a lot of exciting and unpredictable matches throughout the tournament, but only once the players arrive to the Arabian Peninsula and hit the courts, it will become clear how they all dealt with the jet lag and exhaustion after the first Grand Slam of the season.

1 - Open your canvas the size you want your wallpaper to be (I used 1280x800) and then fill the background layer with #7b7867.

2 - Insert this picture to your canvas http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1005288, blur it a bit using gaussian blur (make sure not to blur it too much, you want to keep the shapes visible) and set the layer to Color Dodge (opacity 72%)

3 - Then I inserted these 2 pics of Ana

and made the edges softer on the first one and extracted the second one from the background using layer masks and the magnetic lasso tool and placed them like this

5 - Next I made a new layer and filled it with #410f5d. Then I used a big white soft brush to fill in most of the space. I left the purple mostly on the edges and used gaussian blur to make the difference between the purple and white part look less visible.

After you are done with that, set this layer to Multiply (100%)

6 - Now I added a gradient map (layer>new adjustment layer>gradient map). I used this gradient

and set the layer to Screen (100%) and after that added a new gradient map layer with a black and white gradient which I set to Luminosity (52%)

7 - Next I added text. I used the font Bleeding Cowboys (the one Sean was so kind to give me) to write Ana in #af4f9b and set it to Color Burn (100%). I then copied that layer and set it to Color (100%). I repeated the same thing for "Ivanovic" but with the font AF Tommy Hilfiger and used a smaller size.

8 - Then I made a snapshot of the whole canvas (shift+ctrl+alt+e) and went to filter>artisitic>film grain (grain: 1, highlight area:2 and intensity 1). Just make sure that the snapshot layer is on top of all the other layers.

About a month of so ago the board came up with some new rules. Unfortunately being the lazy bunch that we are we haven’t got around to writing them into the rule book yet, so Natasa bullied me into taking this opportunity to announce them:

- When you send your graphics you must send them ALL at once.
You may not, for instance, send the avatar before the deadline and follow with the banner and free afterward. All graphics must be sent before the deadline if a penalty is to be avoided. We brought in this rule as some matches were having to be held up due to missing graphics – which is not fair on the opponent.

- You are no longer allowed to share graphics.
Previously it ghas been allowed that contestants are able to ask for advice on their graphics and equally ask for opinions on the graphics they have produced. As helpful as this is it causes problems when it comes to voting as voters tend to be bias, even if not intentionally, when they know which graphic belongs to their friend. If you want advice on a graphic please ask after the match has finished in the ‘rate my graphics thread.

These will be written into the rules asap and will be expected to be followed. Any breaking of these rules will be met with the usual consequences.

That’s the boring bit over and done with. We feel that is a great opportunity to get an idea of opinion on proposed changes to the game. We have a few interesting ones for you to give you feed back on:

- New doubles 3rd set
It was brought to the attention of the board that the current system (that of splitting it into 3 separate matches) was unfair as it is sometimes the case that the 2 best frees end up against each other and that sometimes a team only required one amazing free graphic to take the match. So we are proposing that all 4 graphics will be posted and voters will rather them 1-4 (4 being the best and 1 the one they like the least). The graphic will them be allocated this number of points (4 points for 1st place, 3 for 2nd…) , the 1st team to 25 wins the set.

- Article Writing
One of the players suggested that we each adopt the persona of a WTA player and play as that person. This idea did not go down to well but the board did like the idea of article writing. Personally I loved Medina and Droolv’s predictions at the AO and we would like to encourage this. Articles can be anything, from predictions, match reports, or role plays, be imaginative…. We will be holding an exhibition to try it out after Dubai in which the player who writes the most articles in each round will receive a 3-0 head start in each set. We are debating whether to grade the articles on quality or on quantity alone. What do you think?